Rice University endowment posts 14% fiscal-year gain

Rice University's endowment returned 14% for the fiscal year ended June 30, exceeding its policy benchmark return of 12%, said a performance report on the Houston-based school's website.

For the three, five, 10 and 20 years ended June 30, the endowment returned an annualized 6%, 9.9%, 6.4% and 8.8%, respectively, exceeding its policy benchmarks of 2.2%, 6.9%, 3.6% and 6.3%, respectively, in each of those periods.

The endowment returned 0.2% in the previous fiscal year.

A breakout of asset class returns and the university's asset allocation as of June 30 were not disclosed. As of June 30, 2016, the $5.8 billion endowment had an asset allocation of 33% publicly traded equities, 16% each in hedge funds and venture capital/private equity, 12% natural resources, 10% real estate, 7% opportunistic, and 6% fixed income and cash.

Investment officials could not immediately be reached for additional information.